The Spokane Gun Show

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italydad
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The Spokane Gun Show

Post by italydad » Sun Jul 17, 2016 3:39 pm

Smallest gunshow yet. I also saw some of the best deals I have ever seen at one of the Spokane shows. Here is the problem; for years the same tired old grumpy puss men have been hoarding all the good tables, selling the same tired 1911's and Lugers way over price and they have had them for a decade. The people who run the show cater to them because they have been there forever, and they keep raising both the cost to venders and shoppers. Here in lies the rub. When tables were $25 a piece, they could afford to display their crap and just talk to their buddies all day long, now that tables are $65 a piece, you actually have to make a dollar to pay for your weekend of chatting and dressing like you are on your way to the Civil War. As these vendors peel off instead of putting new blood in the main room, they keep the same tired bear traps and $600 knives, and that Nazi selling dude. They don't cater to new blood at all, and just keep shrinking the show. Shoppers are tired of this crap, paying $7 a day to see 15 tables, vendors can't commiserate the day away at $65 a table, no one is happy. We may very soon see the end of Spokane Gun shows, and this would be tragic. Everybody is blaming i594, but I see plenty of private sales going on, and I also see plenty of people doing $10 transfers with zero problems. Here are what I believe are some tips to keep these shows going.
Shoppers;
Do Not, under any circumstance attend the gunshow to just talk about pre war Germany. I am a Clinical Social worker by trade and if you just need therapy, I will charge for therapy. a nice conversation is great, but people are there to run a business, or sell. Standing right in front of someones table for 2 hours is a little beyond ridiculous, and I saw it happen MULTIPLE times.
Do Not, come to the show to just quote internet pricing, and say how you bought a Python for $400 and that you would never pay a dollar more. This is called being an asshole. If you don't like what you see, move on, you don't go attacking wall mart because their lightbulbs are too expensive, you move on.
IF you come to a gunshow with no money, fine, walk around, you can buy the candied nuts, they are always fun, but do NOT finger f*ck every gun in sight, talk prices, and then cop out with you have no money. People at tables are there to sell, not for you to take pictures of you holding their gun you have no intent of buying.
There are a couple other tidbits that I would remind people who obviously have no f*ing clue how to control themselves in public such as try really hard not to talk like a sailor when there are children present, especially if they are yours. Please put your dogs, parrots, and children on a leash, if you are sitting and watching your slimy child paw my guns, I am going to smack you, because you are the one who should know better. My favorite is PLEASE don't set your dripping food on my table, or on my guns, please don't try and lick the BBQ sauce off your fingers and then paw my guns.

Vendors;
If you came for the expensive gross food, and all you are going to do is either nap (I swear to God I saw a vendor passed the f*ck out with a table full of guns), and eat, then go to a food court, you are in the way.
Please don't walk around and belittle everyone else stuff because the grips are wrong and those screws aren't stock and the book says... I don't give a flying ferret what the book says, either make a fair offer or STFU! You aren't the antiques roadshow, and until I am on TV, I don't want to hear it.
Please, have a clue what local as well as national pricing may be on your item. You can sell it for what every you want, but when people get mad at the gunshow, it is because you bought .22 ammo at Wally and marked it up double, or you still have a double eagle sticker on your gun box but are asking $200 more, or you just have no frigging clue. You are in the way, move.
Trades are fine, I don't care if you take them or not, but unless you are truly a dealer, of which there were about 3, don't quote me wholesale prices on my stuff and retail plus on yours, if I wanted the romantic sound of banjo whilst being raped I would go to a Subaru dealer, thankyouverymuch.

I would like to see more support for our local shows, once they are gone they are gone, and the snobby snubbing of the shows by locals is pretty bad. If you are an internet warrior, good for you, but when there is no more local stuff, you will know why. I saw a few other local vendors- Dan Larson of Larson Systems and Joe Cabeza Lower River Tactical, Robert at Mission Camo as well as myself at Haynes and Sons Guns being mindful of these little tips, and I had one of the best shows I have ever had. I was mindful of my price point, I made fair trades, and I took fair offers. Either we want shows or we don't. It is one thing for Liberals to be shutting them down, but turning on our own kind? Seems a little counterproductive.
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by NOIDCO » Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:14 pm

I There were a few new guys with some good prices. But you are right about the same old farts every time. I don't think I have ever seem the carbine guy or the NAZI guy sell one thing. But they sure can bs.
Last edited by NOIDCO on Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Coug91 » Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:41 pm

I went yesterday, mostly to get out of the house. And look at guns and gear. Ended up buying a couple parts ad pieces from a new-ish vendor from Elk. Nice folks and I'm happy to buy some more parts and pieces from them in the future. I saw at least one guy sleeping at his table, about 4:30. Only person I saw with a dog was a lady in the flea market area... leash wrapped around her legs. I was waiting for her to trip and fall. Show needs more new vendors, like the young couple from Elk, with stuff people want to buy, not a table full of crap.

Sorry for the long winded way of saying, "I agree."
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Doug Helton » Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:45 pm

We set up at the show this weekend , had a bunch of junk , though we expected very little we sold most of it and had a good time with the people who came by . Certainly getting new blood is the answer so with that said what's keeping folks from get one or two tables a year ?
Doug

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Straight Shooter » Sun Jul 17, 2016 6:00 pm

Took some guys from the base on Saturday and we were able to get some good deals on AR parts through Dan (Larson Systems). Also found plenty of PMags at decent prices.

The Spokane show is what it is... that's why I only go once a year or less (and it's usually the 3-day show). Actually, the best show that I've been to in years was in San Diego. Parking/admission (about $15.00/$15.00) was steep but, the show was great. When I was stationed in Texas, I went to the Houston show a lot.

Seems to me that the Spokane show hasn't moved on from its "flea market" mentality. Some people enjoy that... I'd just rather see more new vendors with more modern merchandise for sale.
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by BC38 » Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:24 pm

I couldn't make it to this one - first local show I've missed in quite a while. I'm sure I missed some bargains.
Just curious, when is the next one?
Always looking for a deal on more ammo and reloading components.
I've tried to see things from the liberal point of view - but I'm just not flexible enough to get my head up my ...

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by bladebum » Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:31 pm

Sept 24 / 25
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by BC38 » Sun Jul 17, 2016 8:59 pm

bladebum wrote:Sept 24 / 25
Thanks man.
Over two months to the next one, now I'm doubly-bummed that I missed this one. :(
Always looking for a deal on more ammo and reloading components.
I've tried to see things from the liberal point of view - but I'm just not flexible enough to get my head up my ...

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by italydad » Mon Jul 18, 2016 3:09 am

That is funny, I actually saw a dude snoozing at his table on Saturday too. We had fun, met a lot of people, and had a great show.
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by thumpar » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:31 am

I haven't been to a show in over 2 years. I used to go to every one of them. The prices were getting crazy so it was pointless to keep going. You could buy the same stuff at a store for less and not have to pay the $7 to get to it.
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Mossy » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:35 am

thumpar wrote:I haven't been to a show in over 2 years. I used to go to every one of them. The prices were getting crazy so it was pointless to keep going. You could buy the same stuff at a store for less and not have to pay the $7 to get to it.

+1....
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by WestSpokaneguy » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:52 am

When I was younger I love to go spend hours looking at every thing at the gun show. Now I know what I want before hand and go look for the best deal on it. Didn't get to make it to the show this time but like you said you get the same people with bricks of .22 for 50-60$ or a pmr 30 for 550-600$ a have always thought they just must not want to sell anything I did make it to the last one and picked up some lowers from LarsonSystems and set up to have him build me an upper good guy we need to get more small business that understand 10$ here 20$ there add up and move the old guys to the side that want to make 100$ on every deal some thing is only worth what some one will pay for it you might get one person to pay 50$ for a brick of .22 but why not sell it at 30$ and sell every box that you have on hand

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by casten_nukes » Mon Jul 18, 2016 10:00 am

I came, I saw, I wasted 16 hard earned bucks, and went home empty handed. Sorry to say I didn't see much of anything that I couldn't have got cheaper online. And that really upsets me too because I enjoy supporting local guys. Guess I learned the hard way.

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by ron » Mon Jul 18, 2016 10:54 am

italydad wrote:Smallest gunshow yet. I also saw some of the best deals I have ever seen at one of the Spokane shows. Here is the problem; for years the same tired old grumpy puss men have been hoarding all the good tables, selling the same tired 1911's and Lugers way over price and they have had them for a decade. The people who run the show cater to them because they have been there forever, and they keep raising both the cost to venders and shoppers. Here in lies the rub. When tables were $25 a piece, they could afford to display their crap and just talk to their buddies all day long, now that tables are $65 a piece, you actually have to make a dollar to pay for your weekend of chatting and dressing like you are on your way to the Civil War. .
It's never bothered me that people displayed crap or that some of them were grumpy old men who talked to their buddies all day. There's always been good stuff for sale mixed in with the overpriced whatever but too many people are so completely focused on the "injustice" of the lousy deals that they miss the good deals. Also I've always enjoyed the shows and considered the cost of admission the cost of an afternoon's entertainment, better and less expensive than going to a movie. and for several years I worked for people who were vendors selling guns and helped set up in the morning and pack up at night and I know what I'm talking about when it comes to these shows but I've been away from it for a number of years and this is the first I've heard of these price increases for tables.

In the past before these price increases there was usually at least two full buildings full of goods to chose from and that's why it didn't mater about the grumpy old men selling overpriced whatever. But now, it's the damn Spokane fairgrounds and/or Lewis & Clark trader that's more than doubled the cost of the tables that's what's going to ruin these shows and that's a crying shame. At some point you'd think they'd realize that if the prices that the vendors have to pay results in fewer people participating in the shows that means there will be fewer people attending the shows and that means that they make LESS money at the shows and no more shows that means no more money for THEM, the stupid dumbasses! :roll:
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Doug Helton » Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:18 pm

Ron , the cost of the tables is the cost of the venue spread over fewer table rents . I understand some people will never be happy and so be it but it seems to me if the majority of the people who complain would get one table a year it would be a move in the right direction of getting in some fresh blood and better pricing etc. At the rate we are going the show will not be able to remain at the fairgrounds due to cost and may cease to exist all together , it's all up to us if we want it to continue or not .

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by ron » Mon Jul 18, 2016 4:34 pm

Doug Helton wrote:Ron , the cost of the tables is the cost of the venue spread over fewer table rents . .

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't considered that. I was thinking that the cost increases came first and then fewer people rented tables and then the shows started getting smaller rather than the other way around. but this is the first time I've heard of it and so my immediate reaction was to blame the organizers.

So maybe I-591 is actually what caused fewer people to attend these shows and that cause the price of the tables to go up. And that means more of us need to go to the shows unless we want to see them become something of the past when we had more freedom in this country and guns weren't blamed for crime. And like I said before, I like going to the shows better than going to a movie and the gun show still costs less.
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by The Mechanic » Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:03 pm

I think our gun shows are hit and miss, but Doug's rant was a beautiful thing to read.
"Kill 'em with kindness"

Do these moobs make you randy? Do they baby?!?

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by Doug Helton » Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:12 pm

Rarely is beautiful and my name used in the same paragraph

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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by edzz » Mon Jul 18, 2016 6:30 pm

Mossy wrote:
thumpar wrote:I haven't been to a show in over 2 years. I used to go to every one of them. The prices were getting crazy so it was pointless to keep going. You could buy the same stuff at a store for less and not have to pay the $7 to get to it.

+1....

Mossy is correct...

I was charged $8. :shock:

For that price my wife and I can go out to a movie and have enough left for pop corn at the Hayden theaters. 8-)
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Re: The Spokane Gun Show

Post by ron » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:47 pm

Oh well. I guess some people would rather see fake guns in movies than real guns in real life and that's why the shows are dying. :|
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